New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-03
THE PRESS AND THE PEOPLE.

Those Jealous but indiscreet supporters Of
morality who are wont to denouncc the daily
ncwspaper as a power for evil. but not fer
good. have now an excellent opportunity to
consider and acknowledge how well the press
has seryed the public in the Aldermanic
bribery cases. 1t is well within the limits
of reasonable probability to assert that, except
for the newspapers, neither the officials who
disgraced the city nor the man who corrupted
them would have been brought to trial and
conviction. 1t was the newspaper press which
recorded the first facts ard placed them in
their proper light and relations. which traced
the route by which the great conspiracy pro-
ceeded to its end. which demanded an investl-
cation, made the way open to exposure and
built up solid wall Of public opinion behind
the prosecuting officers
The acts of Jacob Sharp and the Aldermen
Of 1884 do not constitute novel kind OF in
fanny They belong to familiar type-a type
so familiar, indeed. that the community had
come to regard such procedures with easy In
difference rs If they were an essential element
in the cor It of municipal affairs. reprehensi-
bic in selvss, but scarcely worth the
trouble OF a protest The people had known
that corporation wheels needed frequent oil
ing, that reputable lawyers were constantly
employed to devise means by which thc
necessary lucubraton could be safely applied.
and that there was always money enough TO
accomplish the required results promptly and
secretly. With the community in such shift
less attitude toward official corruption, it was
hopeless to look for its exposure and punish
ment. And yet no truth can be more certain
and solemn than that forced home upon the
jury in every case by the prosecutors and the
Judge, that bribery in its nature and results
is the deadliest blow that can be aimed at civil
institutions. But when public sentiment has
lapsed by slow degrees into indifference, it
muss be aroused before a prosecution can be
undertaken in its name with any prospect OF
success. 1t is no reflection upon the zeal OF
the District-Attorney to assert that in case
which involves the very structure of society
he absolutely depends upon the impulse and
support which united public opinion can
alone furnish. And 1t Is no disparagement
of the spotless and inheXible Judge who has
presided over these trials to say that he has
felt himself greatly strengthened by the un-
wavering determination of the people that
Justice should be done. 1t follows. then, that
The service Of the press to the public at this
juncture is measured by the issue OF the cases
that have been tried and the almost certain
result Of those that are to come.
As for the cry that the press has been en-
gagged not in upholding the laws, but in cruel
fyirg the accused, that charge has been heard
only from the defendants counsel, and they
have not at heart believed 1t. They found it
an easy thing to say, and they hoped the juries
would find it an easy thing to credit but
they have been disappointed. The news
papers have demanded no innocent victims.
have raised no misleading issues, or sought TO
divert the solemn procedure Of justice for the
benefit or injury of any human being. AT the
outset they crystallized public opinion into
majestic force. and throughout the crisis
they have held it up to this standard while
furnishing the medium for its most imperative
and efficient expression. And for this service
they merit and receive the gratitude Of all
good men and women.